Have you ever wanted to hone your management skills? Or maybe learn what makes a beautiful portrait photograph? These days you can go online and learn pretty much any skill or occupation at a time that suits you, and from the comfort of your home. The main issue is knowing which course to take. So, we did the research for you and narrowed it down to 10 alternative online salon courses that could benefit you and your business.
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Alternative Online Salon Courses
1. “Writing That Sells”: Effective Messages To Promote Your Brand And Products
You already have a fantastic service, and you sell great products. You know as much as that, but for some reason, you’re still getting fewer sales than competitors? These courses will help you tell your product’s story and draw more customers to your door. And, worry not, don’t expect the leading salesy statements!
- Courses: Copywriting Masterclass – Writing that Sells (Skillshare) or Copywriting: How To Be A Crazy Good Copywriter (Udemy)
- Additional Reading: David Barnett’s Proven To Work 3-Step Retail Selling Technique
2. Creating A Business Plan For Your Salon or Spa
Like any other business, your salon or spa needs a well-crafted business plan. If you want to apply for a bank loan, are trying to get an investment from a new business partner, or even thinking about opening your second salon, these two courses are very handy to get the basics down.
- Additional Readings: Top Insights For Salon Success From The Phorest Salon Owners Summit 2018, Expanding With A Second Location: Is Your Salon Truly Ready?
3. Accounting 101
Even if you don’t manage your accounts, these two courses will help you get a better understanding of what your accountant does. A good idea if you’re looking to better understand the advice they are giving you to help best manage your business.
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- Additional Reading: The True Costs Of Opening A Salon That Will Thrive
- Facebook Group: Knowing Your Numbers (Gloria Murray)
4. Public Speaking
Having an open day at the salon? Talking to your team to motivate them? Making a presentation to a bank or at an industry event? With these two courses you’ll feel like you suddenly have your personal public speaking coach at home!
- Courses: Introduction to Public Speaking (Coursera) or The Complete Presentation and Public Speaking/Speech Course
- Additional Reading: How Salon Meetings Can Truly Help Motivate Your Team
5. Inspirational Leadership
As a salon owner, leadership skills are crucial to the success of your business. One of the main questions a manager or an owner should ask themselves given today’s workforce reality is: “How can we bridge the gap between generations and create the business everyone wants to work for?”
This course is designed to help you develop ‘a genuine, generous, and generative approach to leadership, focusing on qualities such as self-awareness, confidence, empathy, resilience, and responsibility.’
- Course: Inspirational Leadership: Leading with Sense Specialization (Coursera)
- Additional Readings: David Barnett On Inspired Leadership And Shaping The Dream Workplace (Podcast), How To Build Trust As A Leader In The Salon And Spa Industry, 6 Management Styles And How They Apply To Salons And Spas, When The “Fingers Crossed” Salon Management Style Isn’t Suitable
6. HR/ Recruitment
If you’re not careful, sourcing, interviewing and hiring employees can take up way too much time, resources and efforts. A good hiring process, in turn, avoids common pitfalls, saves money and hires the best person for the job. Doesn’t that sound like the dream?
- Course: Recruiter Training – Hire Top Employees in 30 days (Udemy)
- Additional Readings: Sam Pearce On The Current Recruitment Crisis In The Hair And Beauty Industry (Podcast), Saad Aslam On Strategies For Retaining Employees And Minimising Turnover, 7 Concrete Salon Interview Techniques To Ensure You Hire The Best-Of-The-Best, Keeping Staff Engagement High In An Operational Industry, Hiring Great Salon Staff: Why You Shouldn’t Call A Reference
7. Social Psychology
This isn’t marketing. This course is all about understanding the motivations and behaviour of people in groups, society and at work. Topics include decision making, persuasion, group behaviour, personal attraction, and factors that promote health and well-being.
- Additional Readings: 5 Expert Tips For Improving Salon Team Morale And Overall Business, 7 Daily Habits Of Happy And Successful Salon Owners
8. Mobile Photography Course
Using compelling photos and graphics have become an incredibly important aspect of running a business’ marketing these days. But not everyone has either the money or the time to buy a professional camera and learn how to operate it. These courses will not only help you take quality photos on your smartphone or DSLR camera, but they will also show you how to edit them to achieve the very best results!
- Courses: Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR Specialization (Coursera), Fundamentals of Digital Image and Video Processing (Coursera), Photography Composition & Portrait Photography Masterclass (Udemy), Portrait Photography Masterclass, All About Headshots (Udemy)
- Additional Readings: Phorest’s Guide To Taking The Perfect Salon Photos, Salon Marketing Strategies: Phorest Launches Before & After Photos!, 3 Photography Lighting Styles For Stunning Salon Portraits
9. Graphic Design
We use and see graphic design everywhere, every day. We see it both on screen and in print because it’s one of the best ways to communicate a message to an audience.
Sounds interesting? Check out this Coursera program on graphic design and start making all things visual in your salon or spa!
- Course: Graphic Design Specialization (Coursera)
- Additional Readings: Top 2017 Design Trends And Inspiration For Your Salon Logo, Designing The Best Logo For Your Salon Style
10. Interior Design
It can be tricky to create a cohesive look that is representative of your style, but when it comes down to your salon or spa’s success, some things just have to be done. Most would simply hire an interior designer, but if it’s something you’re into, you could check out these courses below. Imagine the feeling of accomplishment you’d have after doing up your own business!
- Course: How to Work with Interior Design Styles Like a Pro, How to Design a Room in 10 Easy Steps
- Additional Readings: Top Salon Lighting Tips To Complement Your Interior Design, 7 Salon Decor Tricks To Make Your Reception Feel Spacious, Display Your Salon Personality With Outdoor Signs
Continued learning, even when not directly linked to the treatments and services you offer, is the best way to stay ahead of competitors. As Malcom X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
Oh and speaking of salon courses, don’t forget that as a Phorest Salon Software client, you can always book yourself into one of our Phorest Training classes to ensure that you get the very best out of your software; email <training@phorest.com>!
Got feedback? Let us know either in the comments below or tweet us @ThePhorestWord! (Pssst! We’re on Instagram too!)
Thanks for reading! #LetsGrow
This post was originally published in October 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
